- Pyramid
In architecture the term "pyramid" denotes a monument that resembles the geometrical figure of the same name. It is almost exclusively applied to the stone structures of ancient Egypt and of the pre-Columbian cultures of Central America and Mexico.
Egypt
Pre-Columbian America
Modern
The Egyptian pyramids were funerary monuments built for the pharaohs and their closest relatives. Most date from the Old Kingdom (c.2686-2181 BC) and are found on the west bank of the Nile, in a region approximately 100 km long and situated south of the delta, between Hawara and Abu Ruwaysh. Pyramids developed from the "mastaba", a low, rectangular stone structure erected over a tomb.
The oldest pyramid known, the Step Pyramid of King Zoser at Saqqara (c.2650 BC), has a large mastaba (tomb) as its nucleus and consists of six terraces of diminishing sizes, one built upon the other. It was surrounded by an elaborate complex of buildings, now partially restored, whose function related to the cult of the dead.
The Pyramid at Medum was originally built as a step pyramid about 94 m (398 ft) high. In the 4th dynasty, under Snefru (fl. 2600 BC), it was converted into a true pyramid by filling in its angles and casing it with limestone. The casing later collapsed, so that the pyramid today resembles a huge, squat tower. Early 4th-dynasty tombs north of the pyramid contained fine examples of Egyptian painting, notably the mural known as the "Medum Geese."
The Pyramid at Dahshur is the site of the first true (smooth-sided) pyramids built by the kings of ancient Egypt. (Earlier pyramids had been built in step form.) The two largest pyramids at Dahshur--each about 100 m high--were built by King Snerfu of the 4th dynasty. The earlier of the two is called the Bent Pyramid because the angle of its sides was lowered due to structural problems halfway through construction. The other, known as the Red (or North) Pyramid, was built entirely at the lower angle used for the upper portion of the Bent Pyramid. Smaller pyramids were built at Dahshur during the Middle Kingdom period as burial places for the 12th-dynasty kings Amenemhet II, Amenemhet III, and Sesostris III.
The pyramids in the desert of Giza and Saqqara outside Cairo are considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The 4th-dynasty pyramids of Kings Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren) and Menkaure (Mycerinus) lie in close proximity to each other. Beginnig in the 10th century AD the entire Giza complex served as a source of building materials for the construction of Cairo, and as a result, all three pyramids were stripped of their original smooth outer facing of limestone.
The pyramid of Khufu, erected c.2500 BC, is the largest in the world, measuring 230 m on each side of its base and originally measuring 147 m high.
The Pyramid of Khafre, also called Chephren, is the second of the three Great Pyramids located at Giza, Egypt.
Pyramids were erected by the ancient Mesoamerican cultures of the Maya, Toltecs and Aztecs, and they are found in many areas of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Most were built during the classic period (AD 300-900) and in the following postclassic period (900-1542).
All pre-Columbian pyramids are truncated, stepped pyramids and served as the foundations for temples. The largest ones usually slope less steeply than the Egyptian pyramids, but the smaller ones often have an even steeper incline. Stairways carved into one or more sides of the pyramid lead to the temple.
The pyramid of El Tajin, which was built between the 4th and 9th centuries in northern Veracruz, Mexico, is unique. On each of its terraces is a series of recessed niches in which sacrificial offerings were probably placed.
One of the largest pyramids in Central America is the 66-m-high Pyramid of the Sun (2d century AD) at Teotihuacan, Mexico.
The ruins of Chichen Itza, located on the northern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula, contain some of the finest surviving examples of Mayan architecture. This is the Castillo, a temple pyramid consecrated to Kukulcan, a deity of the Mayan pantheon.
A French palace and the national art museum of France, the Louvre exemplifies traditional French architecture since the Renaissance. The glass pyramid in the central courtyard, opened in March 1989, contrasts dramatically with the adjacent 19th-century portions of the museum complex. Designed by the U.S. architect I. M. Pei, the pyramid serves as the main public entrance to the Louvre. This subterranean addition contains cafeterias, an auditorium, and information and education facilities for visitors, as well as storage and work areas.
